180 WaterFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 180 Water franchise requires a total initial investment of $182K – $695K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.2M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $182K – $695K
- 67th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- 35th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 13th pct Home Services
- Units
- 6
- 13th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $182K – $695K including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.2M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 22/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- 180 Water Franchising, LLC
- Incorporated in
- MT
- HQ
- 4775 York Road, Helena, Montana 59602
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
Overview
About
180 Water franchisees operate water purification and delivery businesses, likely selling filtered/treated water products to residential and commercial customers. Day-to-day operations involve water treatment, quality testing, customer acquisition, delivery logistics, and account management.
- CEO
- Jack Clark
- Headquarters
- MT
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $91K | $150K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $46K | $500K |
| Total initial investment | $182K | $695K |
Source: 180 Water 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$128K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $182K – $695K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $91K – $150K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $120K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $0 |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate-owned
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 25 · small
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
vs Home Services averages
How 180 Water Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 83%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Nascent franchise system with undisclosed financial performance data, franchisor financial instability indicators, and unclear growth potential requiring extensive validation before investment.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Score breakdown · what drove the 22 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 6 units in system with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal scale and unproven model
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — cannot verify if $254K avg net income is accurate or achievable
- 03HIGHGoing Concern = False indicates potential financial instability in franchisor operations
- 04MEDWide investment range ($182K-$695K) suggests inconsistent unit economics or hidden costs not disclosed upfront
- 05MINOR6% royalty on $1.16M revenue = $69,660 annually to franchisor from average unit — sustainability unclear with only 6 units
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Zip codes/Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Montana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 42 hrs
- POS system
- House Call
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: House Call
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
19 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
180 Water · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 180 Water franchise?
The total investment to open a 180 Water franchise ranges from $182K – $695K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 180 Water franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the 180 Water FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is 180 Water's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for 180 Water (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many 180 Water franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 180 Water has 6 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is 180 Water a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 180 Water as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 22 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.